Bowling alley manager had 36 credit cards and 29 IDs belonging to other people during traffic stop, prosecutors say

The manager of a popular bowling alley is facing felony charges after police allegedly found dozens of credit cards and IDs belonging to other people in his possession during a traffic stop.

Police pulled Austrain Taylor over for failing to observe a stop sign in Englewood around 1:30 p.m. last Tuesday, according to a CPD report. Officers said they smelled burnt cannabis, so they searched Taylor’s car for narcotics, Assistant State’s Attorney Loukas Kalliantasis said.

They wound up finding a few other things instead, according to the allegations.

Austrain Taylor | CPD

A backpack on the car’s rear seat contained a loaded handgun, Kalliantasis said. It also contained Taylor’s W2 forms, vaccination card, and mail, according to police inventory records.

They also found 36 debit and credit cards inside the bag along with 29 state IDs and licenses, according to prosecutors. All of them belonged to other people, Kalliantasis said. Police records indicate the officers found two of the debit cards in Taylor’s wallet.

Prosecutors charged Taylor, 33, with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of more than three debit/credit cards.

Assistant Public Defender Suzin Farber said Taylor is the father of three and noted that he has no criminal background. She said he has been the full-time manager of a well-known bowling alley for the past year.

Judge Susana Ortiz said Taylor could go home to await trial by posting a $1,000 deposit toward his $10,000 bail.

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CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is news@cwbchicago.com